Scamander
by zomish
Summary: Don gasped as the ice cold water hit him, soaking through his jeans and under the Kevlar vest, wicking through his shirt to his skin.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs or the characters and have no financial gain._

**Scamander**

Don Eppes weaved behind the nearest tree, then leaned out to see around it. He held his glock tight to his body and he flattened himself against the trunk. Scanning the trees around him, Don was sure he saw a shadow move just a few feet away.

_Where is my team? How come I'm the only one out here?_ Don thought as he sprinted to a new tree and took cover. The shadow seemed to move away from him, and Don stealthily sped after it, moving from one tree to the next. He found himself crossing between two trees to stand at the top of a shallow ravine. At the bottom was a fast-rushing river that flowed smoothly away toward a small rapids just a mile ahead.

Don was just beginning to doubt he had actually seen the shadow when a powerful blow hit him on his head, causing his vision to blur. Don staggered to his left, turning to catch sight of Tom Jacobs, their suspect, holding a large branch. Jacobs was a big man; he'd played football at UCLA before getting tossed out for raping a coed. He still looked like he spent most of his time in the gym, bench-pressing cars – that is when he wasn't committing treason and espionage.

Jacobs swung again, catching Don in the chest and knocking him to the ground. Don's head came down hard on a rock, and his head spun faster. To Don's dismay he found that the gun in his hand was no longer there. Don tried to scramble to find the gun, but as he dragged himself to his knees, he found himself feeling sick.

Out of the corner of his eye, Don could see Jacobs going for the gun, and Don used every ounce of strength to dive for the gun first. The two men struggled with each other, rolling closer to the edge of the ravine. With a startled cry from both men, they tumbled down the side and towards the river.

Don came to a stop and lay on his back stunned, staring up at the twilight sky. _Coop would be so disappointed in me. How could I let him get behind me? Damn, LA is making me soft! _Don's thoughts seemed to drift back and forth, and he lost track of time lying there.

Despite the fogginess, Don tried to clear his mind as he felt Jacobs grab him by the shirt collar, dragging him towards the river. Don struggled, trying to grab hold of the suspect's hands but was unable to wrest himself free.

"Agent Eppes, I've had about enough of you. You have caused me more trouble than anybody else, and I'm about to put an end to it," Jacobs sounded matter-of-fact as he continued to pull Don into the river.

Don gasped as the ice cold water hit him, soaking through his jeans and under the Kevlar vest, wicking through his shirt to his skin. He continued to fight, trying to pull free of the larger man. His mind was still moving slow, and it wasn't until his ears filled with rushing water that he realized what Jacobs intended.

The water covered his face, filling his nose and mouth before he got a chance to suck in a large breath of air. The rushing water became a ringing in his ears as all the sounds of the forest around him faded to a dull echo. Don opened his mouth to let out a cry, and he began choking on the river water.

Jacobs pulled him back above the surface for just a moment before plunging him back into the water. Don shook his head back and forth as the air he had barely gasped in disappeared. His chest hurt, the ice water crushing his chest and causing him to feel as if his chest would explode.

Don's mind flashed back to being six years old again. Their family had gone to the pool on a hot Saturday afternoon. Don had been so happy to be swimming. His father was swimming laps while his mother sat on the edge holding the baby Charlie in the water. Don wandered away and began playing with the rope that sectioned off the areas of pool. Doing flips around the rope, Don actually made himself dizzy. When he came to a stop he was disoriented. After a few moments of panic, as he bumped his head on the floor of the pool, Don struggled to the surface, gasping for air and crying. When he looked around, he realized that not only had his mother not even noticed that he had almost drowned, but no one had either. At the time he was as outraged as a six-year-old could be.

But right now was real. That same feeling of panic and helplessness gripped his heart. He struggled with the hands holding him down, his cry for help swallowed up by the icy mountain river. He swung weakly at the face above his, as his throat closed, locking both the water and air out of his lungs. The freezing water chilled him to the bone, and he felt the strength leaving his limbs. As darkness surrounded him, Don found himself picturing his father and Charlie. _I am sorry, Dad__… __Charlie__… __I love you._

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David Sinclair and Colby Granger crept through the trees. Jacobs had disappeared into the treeline and quickly lost them. Don had moved faster than either of the younger agents expected, surprising both David and Colby with his ability to track the suspect. They had lost Don not long after entering the woods, and the two agents were soon left feeling ineffectual.

"David, do you see anything?" Colby whispered as he whipped around, his gun held in both hands and his eyes searching the trees.

"Nothing, Colby," David answered, his gun held a little looser then Colby held his, but his eyes were just as wary of the surrounding area. "Damn, Don is good. He disappeared like a ghost."

"I don't think that was such a good idea. What if he needs backup? I don't think he meant to get separated from us," Colby replied, walking another few feet forward before he almost loosing his balance as he stepped into air.

"Colby, watch out!" David's hand shot out grabbing Colby from behind and halting his fall forward.

Colby stared down at a rushing mountain stream for a few seconds before the image below him registered. "Don! Damn it! David let go!" Colby pulled out of David's grip and began to slide down the ravine to the river below.

David looked down and saw Don floating face down in the river and moving quickly downstream towards the rapids. The Kevlar vest Don wore seemed to weigh him down, causing him to sink further in the water. His arms floated stretched out behind him while his feet brushed against the rocks on the bottom. The retreating Jacobs was just disappearing into the trees on the other side of the river. David raised his gun, but the shot was too late. Colby reached the bottom and started out into the water just as David began to descend. David grabbed the radio off his belt.

"Agent down! Agent down! We need an ambulance, now!" David reached the bottom of the ravine as Colby turned Don over onto his back, lifting his face out of the water. Colby dragged the motionless body of their leader to the bank of the river. With David's help, Colby pulled Don out and laid him on the ground.

"Come on, Don. You've got to pull through. Damn, he's freezing," Colby said as he began CPR, pushing down rhythmically on Don's chest. "He's not breathing, David. Help me!"

David tipped Don's head back to clear his windpipe. "You're right, he's like a popsicle. That water must be ice cold."

"Trust me, it is," Colby stated before beginning to count, icy water running down his face. Emergency vehicles broke the silence of the woods, as more voices drew closer. "Come on, Don, breathe!"

"Colby, David, what is it? Oh damn, Don!" Megan Reeves slid down the embankment and joined her teammates. "Paramedics are on their way, should be here any second. What happened?"

"We lost track of Don in the woods. We got to the edge, and Colby saw Don in the water – face down. Jacobs went further into the woods, I saw him head through the trees right there. I got a shot off, but he was gone," David pointed to a break in the trees. "We didn't have time to go after him. Don needed help immediately."

"You did the right thing, David," Megan said as she knelt down next to the men and laid a hand gently on Don's still chest.

David and Megan watched while Colby kept pushing on Don's chest. Then a slight wet cough came from Don's lips.

"Colby, stop!" David cried, before turning Don on his side as water poured out of his mouth.

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Charlie Eppes sat in the FBI radio van listening to the radio chatter. These were the times he hated the most: the waiting. The young professor sat in the back of the FBI truck holding the earphones tighter to his head as he listened to the whispered voices of the surrounding agents. The worry always ate at his stomach during these periods, and while he wanted to be there to see his work through to the end, he also hated having to dwell on the fact that his brother was in danger.

He had been called in to help locate possible hideouts for Tom Jacobs based on his previous actions using Bayesian Analysis. The equations had led Charlie and Don to the edge of Sequoia National Park and the foot of Mount Whitney. Don and most of the LA office had set off on the almost four hour trip to the National Park, Charlie tagging along feeling like a ten-year-old again.

"Agent down! Agent down! We need an ambulance, now!" David's voice almost knocked Charlie out of his seat as the agent shouted into his radio. Charlie froze the control panel in front of him blurred as his eyes watered. _No, not Don! Please, not Don!_

TBC

Feedback is appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Scamander**

Part II  
_Two weeks earlier_

"That's a foul!" Charlie said from where he had fallen on the pavement of the driveway.

"You're overreacting! I barely touched you," Don said, catching the basketball before it rolled all the way down the driveway.

"Just because I'm winning doesn't give you the right to foul me," Charlie said as he stood up and wiped off the seat of his pants.

Don's eyes crinkled as he broke into a happy grin, "You're only winning because I've been working late and haven't had time to practice."

"Yeah, sure," Charlie said grinning back, taking his stance in front of Don, ready to block. "That's always your excuse when you're losing. I think you're just getting old,"

"Trash talking…Chuck?" Don said in his most annoying big brother voice. "You should know better than that. Now I've got to wipe the pavement with you."

"Bring it on, pops!" Charlie and Don met together under the basket. Don faked right but Charlie wasn't fooled; catching Don off balance he stripped him of the ball and dodged to the right.

The shrill ring of his cell phone brought Don up short. Turning, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and raised it to his ear. "Eppes."

Charlie kept dribbling the ball as he watched his brother. These were moments that he cherished. Don and he had grown so close in the last three years, a brotherly relationship that they had not had since they were little kids. While originally he and Don had come together over math, over these years they had become friends.

"Yeah, okay…I got it…No, I'll let the others know…Alright, I'll be there in a half hour," Don snapped the phone closed before turning back to his brother. "Gotta go. Sorry about the game, we'll call it a draw."

"I don't think so. I won fair and square," Charlie said, laughing as he tossed the ball back into the garage and followed Don into the house. "Was that your office? Do you need my help? I'm between semesters right now so I'm all yours."

"I don't have any information right now. Give me a chance to sort out what is going on, and I'll give you a call if we need you," Don said as he weaved through Charlie's house and grabbed his keys off the hall table. "Tell Dad that I'm sorry about missing dinner. I'll make it up to you guys, maybe this weekend."

"Hey, bro!" Charlie called after Don as he headed out the front door. Don stopped and turned to look at his brother. "Be careful."

"I'll do my best, buddy!" Don gave a comforting smile as he closed the door behind him.

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Don entered the bullpen to find Colby the only member of his team present yet. The recent events concerning Colby had put stress on the entire team. But while David and Colby were hammering out their differences, the rest of the team had settled into a working relationship.

"What's up, Granger? What did you do, sleep here? I thought you still had your apartment?" Don asked, patting the ex-army ranger on the back.

"Funny, boss," Colby said over his shoulder as he sorted through a file. "Just not used to domestic life yet. You look like you were enjoying some recreation. Nice sweats."

"A little one-on-one with Charlie. I brought a suit in my bag; I just didn't have time to change." Don swung a chair around next to Colby's desk and started looking over his shoulder. "Is that the file Merrick sent down on this case? He said something about a break-in at the local Department of Defense office."

"Yeah, that's right," Colby answered, passing over the police report on the break-in. "It looks like nothing was stolen, however, the computers were hacked and a few offices were tossed. Problem is, it's the second time in two weeks that this office has been hit."

"Doesn't sound like a coincidence, does it? Anyone able to tell what info was hacked into?" Don said, flipping to the second page of the report.

Colby turned to him with a quick smile and said, "I think if they knew that information the DOD wouldn't need our help here."

"You two must have sped to get here before us!" Megan called cheerfully as she entered the bullpen. David followed close behind her with a disgruntled look on his face.

"No, we just didn't have to spend as much time fixing our hair as you two," Colby shot back. The junior member of the team looked proud of his snappy comeback as he turned to grin at Megan.

"You're a riot," David said running a hand over his smooth head. "What have we got, Don?"

"Apparently a couple of break-ins at the DOD. Looks like the perps were information-gathering. Ransacked a few offices and hacked some computers. The first thing we need to do is get those computers in and see what information was accessed."

Megan asked looking doubtful. "The DOD has strict rules and requires top clearance – are we going to be able to get our hands on those computers?" She pulled her own chair up next to Colby on the other side.

"Well, they don't have a choice if they want our help," Don handed the report to Megan before scooping up the rest of the file and flipping through the papers. "It doesn't say here what projects these people were working on at the time. If they want us to find this guy we have to have all the information. Besides, if it comes down to clearance, Charlie can just call 'Bob' – Tompkins the Assistant Director of the NSA – and we'll see if we can get what we need."

Don finished leafing through the papers before handing the file to David. "Megan: I want you to talk to the colonel at the DOD, his name is on that report, and find out how soon we can get those computers to our office. Tell him we'll go over his head if we have to. David: I need you to check out the security cameras at the building, they are bound to have most of the offices monitored as well as all of the entrances. Colby: Pull up any reports of threats towards the DOD or any federal government office here in LA and see if we can locate any people of interest. I'm going to give Charlie a call and put him on standby; I'm sure we're going to need him on this one." Don stood up and headed back towards his own desk.

"I'm going to change my clothes, but first I'll make some coffee. It's gonna be a long night, anyone else want some?" His three team members declined while Don gave in to his caffeine addiction and made a fresh pot. Turning back to his team he felt pride well up as he watched them working together despite the recent turbulence. David was trying very hard to work with Colby and to overcome his feelings of betrayal, while Megan and Colby were both struggling with their own pain over the actions each had been forced to take. _I really do have the best team out there, and if you add Charlie, we're unstoppable! _He thought confidently.

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_The Present_

Charlie stumbled from the FBI van and made his way towards the edge of the woods. He could hear the sound of voices as shapes began to appear through the trees. He stopped at the edge, his eyes watering as the figures drew closer. Blinking away the tears he focused in on the faces. _David, Colby, Megan, paramedics__…__Come on Don, where are you? _Charlie begged silently.

Megan caught sight of Charlie first and trotted ahead to reach him. Taking Charlie by the shoulder she tried to pull him back from the woods. "Charlie, come with me, please," she said softly as she gently tugged on his jacket.

"Megan…Is that Don?" Charlie's voice was monotone and soft as he focused on the figure strapped to the paramedics' backboard. As they exited the trees Charlie could see the dark, thick head of hair above the blankets and his heart sank. "What happened?"

"We don't know, yet. Don was out of communication for about twenty minutes," Megan's voice was filled with love and worry as she stroked Charlie's back. "David and Colby found him. He needs to go to the hospital. I'm sure everything will be alright. You can ride with me. I'll drive you to the hospital."

Charlie ignored her as he surged forward to get a better look at his brother. One of the paramedics tried to stop him, but Colby placed a hand on the man's shoulder allowing Charlie to grab his brother's hand.

"Oh, Donnie! You promised me," Charlie said softly as he brought his brothers slack hand up to his cheek.

TBC  
Feedback is appreciated.

A/N: In case you haven't googled it Scamander was a Greek river god who attempted to drown Achilles in the Iliad.


	3. Chapter 3

**Scamander**

Part III  
_13 days earlier_

"What did you say the colonel's name was?" Don asked as he held open the door for Megan. The two agents had arrived at the local Department of Defense building with directions to meet the ranking officer in the lobby.

"Hawk, Colonel Hawk," Megan answered as she stepped in and glanced around the lobby just as the elevator door opened and a tall African-American man dressed in an Air-Force uniform stepped out. Scanning the lobby the man caught sight of them and approached.

"Agent Reeves?" The uniformed man's voice rose questioningly.

"Yes sir, I'm Agent Reeves and this is Agent Eppes. It's good to meet you in person, Colonel Hawk," Megan smiled warmly as she held out her hand in greeting. "We have a few questions, is there somewhere where we could talk in private?"

"My office should work," Colonel Hawk motioned them to follow him. He led them back towards the elevators before pushing the call button. Don watched Megan make small talk with the colonel, charming him like she often did with witnesses and suspects alike. He shifted impatiently as the elevator doors opened.

As they finally arrived on the floor where Hawk's office was, Megan and Don could see the results of the break-in. Computers were pulled out from work-stations and carefully packed by FBI technicians, military personnel were carefully sorting papers, and a repair crew as reinstalling security doors.

"Excuse the mess – but then again, I guess that's why you're here," Hawk said with a touch of dry humor. "Follow me to my office."

The colonel's office was definitely one of the offices that had been ransacked. The floor was covered in books, while the shelves were empty. A filing cabinet was bent and dented as the drawers had been forced open and the numerous files were scattered around the room. The computer was already loaded onto a cart to be shipped back to the FBI office.

"Sorry I can't offer you a place to sit, they broke one chair and the other is buried," the colonel smiled but there was a hint of tension in his voice as he turned around to pick up a stack of files off the floor. "Your technicians are already taking our computers away, what more can I do for you?"

"We appreciate your cooperation, colonel," Don said in his best soothing voice as he took out a small note pad. "We need to ask a few questions and then we'll be out of your way."

"I'll be honest, Agent Eppes, I don't approve of the FBI's involvement in this," the colonel turned back towards them as he set the files down on his desk. "We do have our own investigative forces that I would prefer to have handed this over to. Since it doesn't look like an inside job, Homeland Security over ruled us and placed it in your hands. There are extremely sensitive materials on those computers, and if their contents were leaked we would have a national emergency on our hands."

_So that's it, just worried about state secretes._ Don thought, before he smiled reassuring at the officer. "Don't worry, we know how to be discreet. Sir, let me ask you, who handled the first burglary? Was there an investigation done?"

"The Office of Special Investigations believed the break-in to be nothing more than an anti-war group attempting to create havoc," Hawk leaned against the front of his desk as a FBI agent wheeled his computer out on a cart. "Agent Watkins of the OSI has the paperwork from the first break-in and completed the cursory investigation in this last incident. I spoke to him this morning and he said he would turn over the video surveillance to an Agent Sinclair, from your office, this afternoon."

Don scribbled Watkins name down on his note pad. "Do you have any idea what files were accessed and why?"

Colonel Hawk looked down before he answered. "The first time they just seemed to surf the computer, no files were accessed, although Agent Watkins did believe they were interrupted before they could get anything of value. I have not heard if in anything was accessed this time, but then that is why you are taking our computers, isn't it?"

"But, colonel, I am sure you have a guess as to what files would be of interest to these people?" Megan asked with a reassuring smile.

Hawk met her gaze before heaving a deep sigh. "There is an experimental spy plane that the Navy has been working on. There had been an attempt at the China Lake Naval facility to steal the plans about two months ago. I don't have all the details but the plans have just been released to the DOD and we were in the process of transferring the files to Washington just before this incident. If information of this were to be released to the enemy, we would loose a major tactical advantage."

Don and Megan exchanged a glance, before Don asked the next question. "Was this file on any of the computers that were accessed?"

"It was on my computer, under the file name Pegasus," Hawk said looking straight ahead. "You'll need to talk to Agent Watkins if you need anymore information, there is nothing more that I can tell you."

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_The Present_

The first sensation he became aware of was the cold. He never remembered being this cold. The feeling began in his bones and resonated out to his extremities. He tried to open his eyes, to see where he was, but his eye lids seemed too heavy to lift. He became aware of the feeling of floating, water surrounding and consuming him, dragging him back down into the blackness. _Am I shivering? Why am I so cold and when did I take a cold bath? It's so hard to breathe__… _As he faded into the oblivion, Don felt hands on his shoulders lifting him out of the water.

"Come on, Don. You've got to pull through. Damn, he's freezing…" A voice he should recognize echoed in the blackness as he felt himself slip further away. There was a painful pressure on his chest that would not stop. He tried to lift his hand to push it away, but suddenly he realized that he couldn't feel his hands any more. _This should scare me more than it does__…__Who's jumping on my ribs? Please stop, that hurts. I'm so tired__…_

"You're right, he's like a popsicle…" The agent in him registered a new voice, familiar but just out of reach. He tried to block out the pain from the rhythmic pressure as it continued to disrupt his need for sleep. His second attempt to open his eyes was met with the same results.

"…what is it? Oh, damn, Don!" A soft voice dragged him back from the sleep that was calling him. He tried very hard to remember that voice, it was someone he knew, someone he trusted, someone who usually helped him, but he didn't have the strength to match the voice with a name. _Why won't they let me just sleep? I'm so cold and so tired. If they would stop talking, I could take a quick nap, and then I'll be able to remember__…_

He was startled by the sensation of choking. He had not noticed the rest of his body for sometime – except for the pain. He began to panic as he tried to cough up the fluid in his chest but found himself just swallowing it again. "Colby, stop!" Hands rolled him and he was relieved as coughing became easier.

As the choking faded he found himself swallowed up by voices and hands lifting him and calling his name. He was too tired to try and answer. _Too many voices__…__they are talking too fast, I can't understand them. I'm not listening to you!_ A part of him knew it was childish, but since he no longer heard failure voices he allowed himself to tune them out.

He knew his breathing did not sound right. It seemed to echo in his ears in harsh rasps. Even the feeling of air passing through his body caused him pain. His breath felt like sand paper as it passed down into his thorax and then scratched its way back up. Someone held something against his face, wrapping it around his head to hold it in place. He was surprised that it helped him with his breathing. He tried yet a third time to open his eyes, but just as before they ignored his command.

_Am I floating? No, wait, someone is carrying me. _He felt sick as he began to shift and sway in the wind. He tried to tell them to put him down but the words would not escape his lips. _Maybe I went sailing. Can't they hold still?_ _I really wish they would ask me before they did this._

He did not know how long he drifted through the air. He felt a jolt as someone carrying him stumbled. He wanted to reach out and grab a hold of anything, but his hands still would not move. He was relieved to find the person right themselves. The voices continued in his head, making it impossible for him to sleep so he choose just to let the sensations float around him till it finally came to a stop and a new voice sound in his ears as someone lifted his hand and laid it against something soft and warm. "Oh, Donnie! You promised me…"

The words stung and he felt despair as the meaning registered in his mind. He knew that voice almost as well as his own. He never wanted to hear that voice in pain. He would never knowingly break a promise to him. He struggled to remember this voice. He would have shaken his head to clear the fog but his body wouldn't respond.

_Charlie!_

His body trembled in frustration. He fought to open his eyes but they still mutinied against him. He tried to lift his hands but they felt numb. He opened his mouth to assure his brother he was fine, but the sound died in his throat.

_Charlie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break my promise. Please don't leave me, buddy. I'm so cold and so tired._ He wanted to squeeze his brother's hand, to tell everything would be alright. For the first time he became afraid, sure that if he actually managed to sleep that he would never wake up. _Don't let me sleep, bro. Keep talking to me – I'm listening!_

Charlie released his hand and it was lowered back to his side. _No! Charlie, come back! I'm still here__…__I need your help. Buddy, stay with me!_

He knew he was being lifted again as the rocking motion returned. A roaring sound got louder, drowning out the voices. He could feel a strong wind on his face and the sound of an engine in his ear. He felt jostled as he was lifted higher before being set down on a hard surface. He couldn't hear Charlie anymore.

He panicked as he felt a jolt and the world dropped away from him. _No, Charlie! Don't leave me, please! I'm scared__…_

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Charlie held on to Don's hand, cradling it near his cheek. His brother's hand felt cold to the touch, the slight shiver Charlie felt in the hand told him that his brother was not dead. Looking intently at his brother's closed eyes, Charlie could see the slight movement beneath the lids. He struggled to fight back tears when he felt Megan's soft hand touch his shoulder. She squeezed gently before giving him a slight tug.

"Come on, Charlie," She whispered in his ear. "Let's let the paramedics do their job. There is no room for you in the helicopter so I'll drive you to the hospital."

Charlie reluctantly let go, knowing that Megan was right but not wanting to be separated from his brother. He watched as the paramedics rushed past him towards an empty spot as a helicopter was just touching down. Charlie stood watching as they loaded Don into it and began to lift off.

Megan wasted little time issuing orders. "I want you two to head up the search for Jacobs. Set up pairs, I don't want any one by themselves and spread out. The chances of him making it over the mountain are almost nil, so set up a perimeter, he's bound to come back down," she said, turning to David and Colby before taking Charlie by the arm and leading him off. "And David, can you call Alan, let him know that we're headed for Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield."

"Sure thing," David said swiftly before being interrupted by Charlie.

"Bakersfield?" Charlie yelled turning back to a startled Megan. "That's like a three hour drive! Are you sure there isn't room for me in the helicopter?"

"I'm sure, they need all the space to help Don," Megan answered, returning to stoking Charlie's shoulder. "The hospital is a short helicopter ride over the forest; Don will be at the hospital before we can even get back to the main road. Unfortunately we will have to drive south all the way to the bottom of the national park before we can head back towards Bakersfield. You're father will probably beat us there."

TBC  
_Feedback is appreciated._

A/N: sorry about the long delay in posting. RL has been difficult recently. Thank you everyone for your reviews, I really am overwhelmed by how wonderful the Numb3rs fans are!

PS: PoetTraveler – Just picture Don in a suit, or Don in jeans, or Don in just about anything!


	4. Chapter 4

**Scamander**

Part IV  
_11 days earlier_

"Well, Agent Watkins is a hard man to get a hold of," Megan said crossly as she pulled a chair up next to Don's desk. "It took three messages for him to finally call me back. Anyway, he offered to meet with us and should get here in about an hour. He'll bring the notes he made. He seems like a tough guy on the phone – kind of short."

Don set his coffee cup back down after taking a quick sip. "We need to see his notes; we're at a standstill right now. Colby hasn't found any connection to any outside threats or any anti-war groups, and David is still analyzing the video tapes," Don said shifting back through the files again hoping that something would jump out at him.

"He'll be here pretty soon," Megan stood up and headed back towards her desk.

It was more than an hour before the elevator doors opened to reveal a small, wiry man in a black suit and dark sunglasses. Don gave a passing thought to the men-in-black before dismissing it and greeting the fellow federal agent.

"I'm Agent Don Eppes, and this is Agent Megan Reeves, thanks for coming down," Don said holding out his hand.

"Agent James Watkins. I hope that in putting our resources together we can solve this case," Watkins had a low almost gravely voice as he griped Don's hand and shook it.

Don gestured towards an open interview room and led the other agent and Megan in. The three agents sat down, and Watkins began pulling out a note pad and photographs. Once he had sorted things out the way he wished, he turned to the two FBI agents. "I've hit a dead-end in this investigation. The first break-in happened about two weeks ago, the video shows the two suspects pulling out files and tossing them onto the ground. Both suspects were very careful never to show their faces on camera. They focused on Colonel Hawk's office before heading out into the rest of the office. After about thirty minutes the bigger of the two suspects attempted to access the computer in Hawk's office but didn't seem to be computer savvy enough to break any passwords."

Don looked at the pictures that Watkins had, while listening to the agent. As he flipped through the pictures he observed the two men constantly keeping their faces off of the camera. "Did Hawk give you any idea of what these people were looking for?"

"Hawk did have a theory about a plane that has been developed by the navy, but without being able to identify the men in the images it is hard to pinpoint their motivation. Once we determine if they were able to access any of the computers and what they were looking at, we may have a different theory," Watkins scooted forward to pull out a particular picture that showed the two men first entering the office, their heads down. One man definitely attracted attention, a large man who looked like he could play professional football; he seemed to be directing the other man towards a filing cabinet. Don could easily tell who the leader was in the pair as picture after picture showed the built man motioning to the other. "What about the China Lake Naval facility?" Don asked looking up.

Agent Watkins gave a small sigh before answering Don. "Hawk mentioned that particular incident; unfortunately there is little evidence of that actually happening. There was an investigation done by the NCIS and nothing was found. The particular plane that they're referring to, if approved, would give the military a tactical advantage, but more importantly a huge advantage in information gathering."

"You mean spying," Don said looking up at the other man.

Watkins gave him a hard stare. "I mean reconnaissance. Look, I know this got turned over to the FBI, but I want to stay a part of this. I can help you on the military side of this investigation. This began with me, and I'd like to continue to help."

Don and Megan exchanged glances. "We'll keep you in the loop," Don said not wanting to promise the other agent anything.

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"Don! We've got a lead," David called happily as he bounded up to Don's desk and dropped a set of photos on his desk.

"Show me what you've got," Don said, picking up the pictures and flipping through them. He stopped at a very clear picture of three men. The large man in the front kept his head down and faced away from the camera, but the other two men stared ahead, their faces clearly visible in the picture.

"The video surveillance from the first break-in didn't have anything useful, but the video of the last attempt had some very helpful shots," David said with a smile. "This big guy here manages to keep his face hidden the whole time, but we've been able to identify the other who was also in the first video as Mike Laffey, a local heavyweight who is known to hire himself out as a bodyguard. But the interesting thing is the third guy was not at the first break-in. His name is Nelson Booker, a computer hacker out of San Francisco who is wanted for crashing the computer system at some of the largest banks in California. These guys had to have been looking for something in particular – not just browsing."

"Do we have an address?" Don asked trying not to hold his breath.

"I've got an address for Laffey," David said with a slight smile.

An hour later, Don and David were walking up the stairs to the third floor apartment of Mike Laffey. The apartment building was not in the nicest part of Los Angeles; the smell of rotting food and chemicals burned Don's nose. The broken elevator had forced them into the stairwell which had become a haven for stray cats and continued to assault their senses. As they approached the door they could hear raised voices, muffled by the walls but clearly angry words.

Don and David locked eyes, and both pulled their guns, holding them loosely at their sides. Don stepped closer to the door and, without actually touching it, held his ear close.

"Damn it, Booker! You said you had the information downloaded. We aren't gonna have an easy time getting in again!" The angry voice yelled.

"I'm sorry. It said it was done," a second voice whined.

"Quit sniveling. I should kill you right now! You're completely useless! I can't imagine how you came highly recommended," the first voice shouted back.

"Hey, Tom, calm down. I can't afford to have a murder in my apartment. I need my security deposit back," a third voice jumped in.

"Shut the hell up!"

Don glanced back at David and nodded. Stepping back from the door, he paused just before he knocked on the door. The room suddenly became silent and Don knocked a second time.

"Who is it?" the voice Don guessed to be Laffey as the door began to creak open slowly.

"This is the FBI, we need to speak with Mike Laffey," Don stated firmly, shoving his foot in the door to prevent it from closing again.

The stream of swearwords from the room was accompanied by the scrambling of feet and a window breaking. The door sprung open as Laffey let go and headed towards the fire escape.

David took off back down the hall towards the stairs, and Don entered the small apartment. Two of the men were already out on the fire escape while the third man was still scrambling out the window. Don grabbed him by the seat of his pants and pulled him back in and towards the refrigerator. As he cuffed him to the appliance he recognized Booker who looked more terrified than anything.

"Don't move!" Don commanded before following the other two men out the window. He could feel the ladder shake as he climbed down. He heard David shout as he rounded the corner and barreled towards the two men as they dropped from the ladder and took off running. Don allowed himself to slide down the last set rungs before landing hard on the ground with a grunt. He could see the direction where David had disappeared and followed behind.

Rounding the corner, Don found himself alone. He stopped and listened, trying to determine the direction that David and the suspects had gone. _Damn, how did this get so out of control? What idiot criminal would hang out in their own apartment when they have to know people are looking for them? _A snapping sound brought him up short and he walked cautiously towards a dumpster his gun ready.

The man that stepped in front of him was one of the biggest men he had ever seen. He was probably around the same age as Don and had blond short cropped hair. He towered over Don and his shoulders were almost twice as wide as Don's.

Don started to raise his gun. "Freeze, FBI!" Don tried to say it with confidence as the man reached out and grabbed at the gun before Don got it in position. With a shove Don found himself sliding across the alley but managed to hold on to his gun. The huge man jumped on him knocking the wind out of his lungs. Don managed to get his left elbow free and slammed it into the other man's chin. With a grunt the man rolled off him and Don struggled to sit up. The suspect grabbed Don around the waist and lifted him before hurling him into a large pile of garbage.

Don heard the sound of David shouting and running feet. He watched as the man turned to look back down the alley before turning back to Don and giving him a glare. "Stay out of this, FBI, it doesn't concern you!" He growled and sprinted back the other direction.

Don sat up quickly even as more garbage fell down on top of him and watched as a couple of uniformed LAPD officers flew past him after the suspect. David stopped in front of him and offered him a hand which Don took gratefully.

"Not a word!" Don scowled at David as the other man attempted to hide a smile.

"I wasn't going to say anything," David answered biting his lip. "What kind of aftershave are you using now?"

"Clever." Don stated sarcastically, while putting his gun back in its holster. "Did you get the other guy?"

"No, couldn't find him, and, unless those officers catch that one, they all got away," David said shaking his head.

"Not all of them," Don smiled. "I got Booker! Let's go back to Laffey's apartment and pick him up."

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_The Present_

"I'm coming!" Alan Eppes called as he trotted swiftly towards the front door. _The boys wouldn't knock and Millie won't be here for another two hours,_ Alan thought as his hand touched the door handle.

When the door swung open Alan had a moment of confusion. Instead of a salesman or missionary, he stood looking at an unknown man dressed in a dark suit and looking definitely like someone from Don's office. He felt his heart stop as it occurred to him that both of his sons had headed up state.

"Mr. Eppes? I'm Agent Jake Kinseth," the dark-haired man at his door said in a low voice. "David Sinclair asked me to stop by. May I come in?"

Alan did not move out of the way. Although a small voice inside pointed out that he was being rude, the rest of him was ready to scream. "Which one of them is hurt and how bad is he?" He asked in a flat voice, his eyes locked on the agent standing in front of him.

"Mr. Eppes," Kinseth began, realizing he was not going to be invited in. "First off, Charlie is fine! He is with Agent Reeves, and they are headed towards Bakersfield…"

"What happened to Don?" Alan interrupted, his face visibly paling.

Kinseth paused, fishing for the right thing to say. "He's being airlifted to Bakersfield Mercy Hospital. He had a…near drowning experience…but he is alive. I really don't have any other details. Agent Sinclair didn't have time to talk. He asked me to pick you up and drive you to Bakersfield. Charlie and Reeves will meet us there."

It only took Alan a second to process this information. He turned and grabbed his keys – and as an afterthought his cell phone – and locked the door behind him. As he followed the agent to his car, Alan had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He wasn't sure he would survive the long drive to Bakersfield without going crazy.

TBC  
_Feedback is appreciated._


	5. Chapter 5

**Scamander**

Part V  
_10 days earlier_

"Whose turn is it to take out the garbage, boss?" Colby asked throwing his arm around Don's shoulder as he and David came up behind the older man.

Don turned around to glare at David. "I told you never to mention that again, Sinclair!"

"You didn't actually expect me to be able to keep quiet about it," David answered choking back a laugh. "Anyway, I had to put it in my report. Besides, you're the one always saying we need to be accurate and to the point when writing reports."

"Where I landed in a fight was not information that needed to be in any report," Don said shaking off Colby's arm while the former Ranger laughed loudly.

"Don, I am glad you got to go home and take a shower," Colby gasped between laughs.

Don turned around and growled at Colby. "When you're done having your fun – Granger – we will never speak of this again. Why don't you tell me what happened with the interrogation of Booker."

David smothered his laughter as he tried to smooth things over with Don by getting down to business. "It took awhile but he finally broke. He said the third guy's name is Tom Jacobs."

Colby did his best to put on a serious face. Colby gulped a drink of water and then went on with the explanation. "Apparently, Booker was brought in just recently because of the high security nature of the computers involved. Booker claims he doesn't know what Jacobs was looking for, just that he was told to access and copy the hard dive of Hawk's computer. Something went wrong and the portable drive was empty when he tried to access it yesterday. That seems to have been the argument you and David overheard."

David handed Don some printouts as the lead agent pulled his chair out and took his seat. "Tom Jacobs. Apparently he was a big time college football player…"

"I could've told you that!" Don interrupted with a smile.

"…before he was arrested his senior year for raping one of his sorority sisters. It made big news in the early nineties since he had already been drafted by the New Orleans Saints. He was able to get off with a reduced sentence because of a technicality. After spending only a year in prison, he landed back in the UCLA area and was picked up for drug trafficking two years later. Again he got off with a light sentence, spending only nine months in jail. Since being released, he fell off the map. He has no credit cards, no driver's license, and no known address."

"Of course," Don said setting the papers down and giving his temples a quick rub. "Our luck can only go up from here."

"On a good note," Colby said with a bright smile. "Booker was able to give us the phone number he was given to contact Jacobs. I've got people running a trace on it. When he makes a call and we'll be able to find him."

"Only if he's stupid enough to use that phone again," Don replied shaking his head. "And I'm betting he's not that stupid."

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_8 days earlier_

Don motioned to Colby and David to head down the back alley behind the Greek restaurant. The restaurant was located in an old part of the city and looked even more rundown in the evening light. One of the street lights in front was broken and the lights along the side of the building barely gave off enough light to see the building. If it wasn't for the flashing neon open sign in the window the building would look uninhabited.

The two younger agents nodded to Don before walking cautiously towards the alley followed by a couple of uniformed LAPD officers. The alley where David and Colby were headed was inky black, void of light. The two agents pulled out their flashlights, the beams of light cutting through the darkened alley. Don turned and made eye contact with Megan and counted to ten before the two agents pushed open the door to the Greek restaurant.

The team had spent the last two nights shaking down leads, tracking down reported sightings, and continuing to interrogate Booker, all with nothing to show for it. The arrested suspect either was very good at resisting or – which was more probable – actually did not know anything else. The reported sighting of Laffey, outside the Greek restaurant, had brought the team to the east side of the city. Don felt determined that this time they would pick Laffey up.

Megan and Don stepped into the dimmed light of the restaurant and scanned the patrons before observing a man huddled in the back corner booth. Laffey was facing the door, and stood up abruptly as he caught sight of Don. He turned around quickly and began to head for the door to the kitchen. As he pushed the door open, Don could hear the outraged cries, mostly likely Greek swear words, and the crashing of pans and dishes.

Don followed him into the kitchen, almost tripping over a cook who was bent down picking up a pan off the floor. Don could see Laffey scrambling out the back door to the alley, and he could only hope that David and Colby were in place.

"Freeze, FBI!" David's voice came through clear as a bell as Don and Megan made it to the back door.

"Okay, okay! I'm not doing anything!" Laffey answered. As Don exited the back door he saw Laffey on his knees with Colby fastening the handcuffs. Laffey definitely looked worse for the wear; his clothes were disheveled and dirty while his hair had not been washed in days.

"On your feet, Laffey," Colby said, dragging the suspect to his feet.

Don stepped up next to the filthy suspect. "Where is Jacobs?" He growled.

"Jacobs who?" Laffey asked with a smirk on his face.

"Don't play games with us," Don got closer in the suspect's face. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together. If you cooperate with us, things will go a lot faster and be a lot more pleasant for everyone. We might even let you take a shower, although that would be for our benefit."

"I've got nothing to say to you," Laffey replied, refusing to make eye contact with Don.

"Well, it's going to be a long night for you then," Don answered, motioning for Colby to load Laffey into one of the SUVs.

Don sighed and turned to Megan. "This case is starting to drive me nuts; it really seems like it's going nowhere – or like we're missing half the pieces to the puzzle."

"Give it time, Don," Megan gave him a pat on the shoulder. "We've got two of the three suspects in custody, which should count for something."

"Yeah, but we still don't know why," Don opened his car door and stepped in as Megan went around to the passenger side and climbed in. "We're not any closer to figuring out what they were looking for, and without that we have no way of knowing what this is really about. I'm not looking forward to another few days of integrating suspects who have no real idea what is going on."

"We'll find Jacobs soon – he's the key!" Megan answered as Don pulled out onto the street and head for the office.

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_The Present_

David and Colby wove through the woods, staying close together. They could just barely make out the trail where Jacobs had moved through the trees. Each agent took turns weaving though the trees covering the other.

Colby kept his mind focused on the task in front of him. His goal now was to locate Jacobs – and to keep his partner safe. Colby still struggled to come to terms with the whole Janus mess. He would do anything to prove to his teammates that he could be trusted. Don had forgiven him again – trusting him – and he was not about to let the best boss he ever had down. And then there was David. He and David finally had worked out a cautious truce at first, but he was now working hard to get David to trust him. He kept moving forward, scanning the surrounding area.

David found it hard to stay on task. He desperately wanted to catch this guy – make him pay for what he had done to Don – but his mind couldn't erase the image of Don in floating in the water. He managed to keep up with Colby, pushing the memory back. Colby moved stealthily through the trees, and David found himself happy the former Army Ranger was still with him.

Pausing, Colby signaled David to watch him. He dropped to the floor of the forest and shimmied forward on his stomach. Colby peered ahead before turning back to David and giving him a thumbs up sign.

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Charlie sat staring out the car window at the gas station without seeing it. Megan watched him in the side mirror of the car as she pumped the gas. The young mathematician had insisted that he was not hungry or thirsty, preferring to just keep moving, but the car required a stop at the gas station.

Megan had attempted to engage Charlie in a conversation for the first hour of the trip, asking him questions about his childhood with Don. Charlie began the trip answering the questions using as few words as possible but had quickly dissolved into silence. Megan finally gave up and continued to drive as quickly as possible without breaking any speed limits. She had briefly entertained the idea of turning on the lights and siren, but dismissed that as she decided that three hours of the siren would be insane, not to mention drive both her and Charlie crazy.

Megan caught the receipt as the pump spit it out. She glanced back at the dazed passenger in her car before heading into the gas station to grab a few necessities. Picking out two water bottles and a coke, Megan snagged a couple of bags of potato chips and candy bars before heading to the counter to pay. They still had almost and hour and a half before they reached Bakersfield.

"You don't look like a hiker," the young man behind the register commented as she laid her stash on the counter. He looked like he was barely out of high school and eager to please. "What brings you up this way?"

Megan smiled warmly at him as he began to ring up her supplies. "What this doesn't look like hiking attire? You're right; I'm just up here on business. Hey, maybe you could tell me how long until we are able to receive a cell phone signal?"

"You're not that far away, about twenty more miles south and you should be able to make calls," the kid smiled back as he took her credit card and glanced at the name. "But if you want – Megan – I'd let you make a phone call here! Megan Reeves, that's a nice name."

Megan laughed as he handed the card back to her. _He's flirting with you!_ She thought as she tried not to embarrass the young man. "Thanks, I didn't choose it! Thanks for the offer though, but I'm kind of in a hurry. Need to get to Bakersfield as soon as possible." She scooped up the drinks and food and started towards the door.

"Well, next time you're up here, hopefully you'll have more time. We don't get to meet too many visitors around here," he called after her. "It was nice meeting you, Megan!"

Megan shook her head warmly as she made her way back to the car. Climbing into the driver's seat she was reminded why she was in a hurry as she caught sight of the despondent passenger. She set the drinks in the holder on the dashboard before placing a hand gently on Charlie's shoulder.

"Guess what, Charlie?" Megan tried to make her voice light without sounding flippant. "The kid at the gas station told me that we should be able to make a phone call in about twenty minutes to a half hour. So once we can get through we can call the hospital and see what is happening. I know you said that you didn't want anything, but you need to eat or at least have some water."

Charlie lifted his head from where it was pressed against the window. "No thanks. I just want to get moving. We've still a long way to go." Charlie laid his head back against the window and stared blankly ahead.

Megan sighed as she pulled the car out and headed back down the road. Fishing in her pocket she pulled out her cell phone to check for a signal but found none yet. Reaching out she snagged one of the bottles of water and opened it to take a drink. "Charlie, I know you're worried, but the good news is he was breathing when they flew him out and he couldn't have been in the water for long. Colby and David were able to revive him as soon as they pulled him out of the water."

"What do you mean 'revive him?'" Charlie asked in a dangerous voice as he quickly turned to face her.

Damn, I didn't mean to tell him that yet, Megan thought as she bit her lip and tried to think of away to minimize the events. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you…"

"Don't patronize me. I'm not a child!" Charlie growled angrily. "Despite what Don thinks, I don't need things sugar coated. Tell me what happened!"

"I don't know everything," Megan answered, trying to cover herself. "Colby and David didn't have much time to explain. Apparently they got separated from Don, and when they located him, he was face down in the river. Colby pulled him out and carried him to the bank."

"Was he breathing?"

Megan met Charlie's eyes for just as second before turning back to the windshield in front. "No…But Colby did get him breathing again. Keep in mind, he got help quickly and the hospital should be able to help him."

Charlie opened his mouth and Megan could almost hear the words in his head when Charlie's phone rang.

Charlie looked startled for a second before digging the phone out of his bag. He glanced at the screen before flipping the phone open with a small cry.

"Dad…"

TBC  
_Feedback is appreciated._


	6. Chapter 6

**Scamander**

Part VI  
_7 days earlier_

The integration of Mike Laffey lasted the better part of the night and most of the morning. Don and Megan took turns talking and persuading. It required a lot of energy just to get the bare minimum out of the small-time hustler. Retiring to the break room, the two agents decided to regroup and try yet another new tactic.

"This just isn't working," Don grumbled, lifting his coffee cup up to his mouth for a sip. "It's like with Booker, either he's is very skilled in resistance or he really knows nothing."

"I beginning to think it's the latter," Megan said with a sigh. "No matter what we offer or counter with, he just doesn't have the information to give."

"Well, we've got him on breaking and entering at least, charges of espionage will have to come later," Don replied taking another sip. "I just wish he knew more about Jacobs. The guy can't be a phantom, he's got to have a base somewhere…" Don trailed off setting the cup down and rubbing his temples with his hands.

"Don, you should just go home right now," Megan said reaching out a hand to rest it on his arm. "You've hardly left the office for a week, except to track down suspects. We can handle things for now, and I promise to call you if anything changes."

"I can't Megan," Don's voice was tired as he lowered his hands and gripped his cup again. "Thanks though."

The two agents fell into silence while both replayed what little information they had gathered from the suspect. Don swirled his stir stick as he thought, and Megan's eyes wandered around the room.

"He did mentioned something about Edwards Air Force Base," Don said standing up and beginning to pace. "He said that had been their original target. That Jacobs had wanted to gain access to this facility but the DOD would actually be easier to gain admittance."

"Maybe we should head out to the base and take a look around," Megan replied standing up to join her partner.

"That sounds better than just hanging around here and watching the paint dry," Don smiled tiredly. "Who knows, maybe Jacobs will be there."

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The base was full of pilots and soldiers who were very polite but knew little about what was going on. After the nearly two hour drive the agents were quickly discouraged by the lack of cooperation. It took a few phone calls from Colonel Hawk for the two agents to be led into the general in charge of the base's office.

General Maclevy was a tall man with very little hair on his head. He greeted the two agents in a respectful manner, but was resistant to talking about anything specific. Don and Megan patiently attempted to reason with the man, but found the conversation going nowhere fast.

"General, this case is very important," Don attempted a new argument. "I've been assured it is a matter of national security. We've exhausted most of the leads we've had to date, and this base is the last option that we have for preventing a catastrophe. We would appreciate your help in this matter."

"Agent Eppes, I am not in the habit of handing out classified information despite your clearance status," the general stood up abruptly and crossed his arms. "Just because some colonel in the Defense Department tells me to give you access doesn't mean that I am obligated to hand over everything on this base. I understand that there was an issue at the DOD office in LA, but no one has been able to access this base, and I assure you there is nothing to find here."

"Then you won't mind if we look around?" Don replied feeling happy that he'd at least gotten to this point in the argument.

"Be my guests!" The general swept up the phone and spoke quickly into the mouth piece. "Sergeant, send in Lieutenant Peters. Now!"

The two agents sat quietly waiting to be dismissed – or at least be given a more substantial permission to investigate. They watched as the general practically flung himself into his seat and began sorting through paperwork.

"You will be escorted by Lieutenant Peters while inside this compound," the general's voice had lost some of its harshness as he continued to address them. "You will listen to the Lieutenant and if he denies you access to something you will respect him. I am not angry or distrustful of you. I realize that we are all working for the same people, but sometimes our methods maybe different."

"Absolutely, general," Don answered with a charming smile as the air force lieutenant entered the office. "We are only here to solve a crime and prevent a national emergency."

The general gave him a hard look before turning to the lieutenant. "Peters, these are Agents Eppes and Reeves from the FBI. You are to escort them around the base, let them investigate where they feel they need to, but you are to be discretionary about what you show them. They mentioned a possible security breech, show them the fence around the compound and the security measures that we employ. When they are done, escort them to their vehicle."

"Yes, sir," the young man said with a smart salute. "Agents, please follow me."

Megan and Don traded cautious looks before following the lieutenant out of the office. The lieutenant was very efficient in showing them around, very polite and well-mannered however completely unhelpful and somewhat distracting. He would not show them any of the offices, actually closing doors to prevent them from entering. He denied them access to one of the larger hangers that housed jets, and led them in a round about way finally circling the perimeter.

"We have the best security cameras around, and they are monitored 24/7, sir," Peters said, leading them into a control center where there were rows of view screens showing video of the high fence that surrounded the base. Two men in the room sat in chairs monitoring the view screens.

"The DOD in LA has similar systems, they didn't stop a break-in," Megan said taking a step forward and scanning the many screens.

"Well the DOD doesn't have F-16s guarding it's doors," Peters answered with a straight face.

Don chuckled at the serious answer. A flash of movement on one of the screens caught his attention. He focused on the monitor which showed a small gate that seemed to be on the edge of a wooded area. Nothing moved now, but Don couldn't shake the feeling he had. "Where is this gate?"

"That's the north gate," Peters said after checking a chart on the wall. "All the gates are guarded, there are at least two soldiers at every exit. There is nothing to worry about."

"I'd like you to take us there," Don said firmly pointing to the screen. "I want to check this area out. Can we exit through that gate?"

"Yes, I guess we could," Peters sounded hesitant for the first time. "It's quite far away, we'll have to take a jeep out there." Peters motioned them to follow him.

The trip to the gate did take a good half hour due to bad terrain and the stop they had to make as jets rattled overhead. Despite the setting sun they were able to see the gate was unguarded as they approached. The small gate house empty and the gate itself swung open slightly. Peters stammered in confusion before pulling out his radio a calling for backup at the isolated gate.

Don and Megan jumped out of the cart and drew their guns. Approaching cautiously they pushed the unsecured gate open and headed out into the woods just beyond. The two agents worked together sweeping the area, trying to cover as much territory as possible. Megan was first to locate the two dead air force guards about twenty yards into the trees.

"They're dead, Don," Megan said leaning over the two bodies. "It looks like it happened quick, gunshots to the head, both of them."

"This is Jacobs, I know it!" Don replied. "We should head back and call for back up, at least get some of those soldiers doing this search."

Megan did not hesitate but started back as Don followed. The trip back to the gate seemed to take longer as the agents continuously scanned the area. Neither was prepared for the sudden onslaught of motion and sound. As Don swung around, his gun ready, Megan fell to the ground with a cry as Jacobs caught her with the butt of his gun.

In a nanosecond the two men stood face to face guns drawn, each pointed at the other. The two men sized up their opponent and took in the readiness of the other to act first. Don's eye flicked over to Megan before focusing on the other man.

"What is your name, agent?" Jacobs asked his hand never faltering as he kept his eye on Don.

"Eppes," Don replied his gun equally steady as the two men faced off.

"Agent Eppes, you are quite good at your job," Jacobs gave a slight smile as he locked eyes with Don. "I've been doing this for a few years now and have yet to have a G-man cause me this much trouble."

"Well, I aim to please," Don said with a slight tilt of his head. A sound to his right divided his attention as he sensed another presence.

"Well, unfortunately, I now have you surrounded," Jacobs said lowering his gun with confidence. "My new crew is standing behind you, and one wrong move and the FBI will loose a good agent – and we don't want that to happened, do we?"

Don's mind moved fast through the optioned available to him. He could feel someone approach him from behind and the hard push of a gun muzzle in his back. Don slowly lowered his gun to a less threatening position.

"What is it you're looking for, anyway?" Don asked stalling for time, hoping Peters would send help through the gate.

Jacobs laughed before answering the agent. "Just because bad guys in movies are dumb enough to tell their plans to the hero when they think they have them captured doesn't mean I'm that stupid."

"Freeze! Nobody move!" A loud voice boomed around the small clearing, and before Don could move, Jacobs and his men seemed to melt into the trees. Don was soon surrounded by air force guards with guns drawn, Lieutenant Peters leading the way. The soldiers spread out and began searching the area. Don turned to follow Jacobs retreating form, but stopped as his concern turned to his fallen partner.

"Megan," Don said, dropping to her side as she began to stir. "How are you doing?"

Megan groaned as she slowly sat up, rubbing the back of her head. "What happened?" She asked groggily.

"We just lost him again," Don said, looking in the direction that Jacobs had disappeared.

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_The Present_

Soft voices and broken sentences woke him up. "…his body temp is still too low…how long he has been unconscious…do we know how long he was submerged…start an IV…"

He did not recognize any of the voices, but he felt like he was being rocked back and forth. His head was spinning. He attempted to lift his eyelids once more and this time they lifted just slightly revealing a blinding light. He groaned softly as he snapped them closed again.

_Where am I? Why is it so cold? Who is talking?_ He tried to focus on the surrounding sensations as his mind functioned slowly. Braving the pain, he cracked his eyelids once more, and was able to make out lights passing swiftly overhead. Trying to make sense of what he was seeing he tried turning his head and a woman's face came into view. She did not seem to stay still as she jumbled next to him making him nauseous.

He closed his eyes again to shut out motion and tried to swallow the urge to vomit. He had no idea where he was or how he got here. He knew he should be worried about that but he just felt so tired and cold. He tried to focus on the words being said but everything was moving too fast for him to keep up.

He felt himself being lifted before being gently set down on a soft surface. He cracked his eyes open again and could see that the lights had stopped flying past and the jumbling motion had ended.

"Agent Eppes? Can you hear me?" A voice broke through the other sounds.

His eyes searched for the source of the voice and finally settled on a woman leaning over and staring at him. _She seems like a nice enough person, quite a few years older than me but still pleasant to look at._ She smiled at him as they made eye contact. "It's nice to see your eyes, Agent Eppes."

He tried to smile back but was just too tired to make his mouth move. Instead he tried to keep eye contact with her.

"I'm Dr. Browne," she continued on, undisturbed by his lack of response. "And I'm here to make sure you get better."

He let his eyes drop shut again, comforted by her confident words. He began to drift over what few memories he could string together. _The woods – water – cold – can't breathe – Charlie! Where is Charlie? He was with me, I remember his voice. Dad will never forgive me if I let something happened to him. Where's Dad?_

He found the more he thought the more his head ached. He squeezed his eyes closed and let the darkness claim him again.

_TBC  
__Feedback is appreciated._

_A/N: sorry for the delay in posting, writer's block. Please have patience with me.  
__I just want to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews, it is very encouraging._


	7. Chapter 7

**Scamander**

Part VII  
_6 days earlier_

Don drove Megan back to her apartment with strict orders to rest. When Megan was being treated by the base medic for a mild concussion, Don had worked with Lieutenant Peters to search the surrounding forest. However the phantom Jacobs and his men had disappeared once again.

Don made his way slowly into the bull pen. He beat both David and Colby into the office and sat down heavily at his desk. He could not remember the last time he slept. Flipping open the file on his desk he began leafing through the papers.

"Here you go, boss," Colby said as he set a cup of coffee down in front of Don. "How's Megan?"

"She's going to be fine," Don answered as he took a drink. "She has a mild concussion, and the doctors insisted that she rest. She was difficult when I dropped her off at her apartment. She kept insisting that she could come back into work."

"Boy, does that sound familiar!" David said with a smirk with a meaningful glance at Colby.

The day progressed slowly, as Don chased down phone calls with Lieutenant Peters, Agent Watkins, and finally Colonel Hawk, trading information that continued to come up short. Each time Don felt he was making progress, it seemed to back track.

Don sighed in frustration before turning to his teammates. "Colby, can you head down to CalSci and give this file to Charlie? Maybe he can make some sense out of this – give us some idea of where to go next," Don said, handing the file to Colby as he took his seat again.

"Sure thing," Colby paused before turning to leave. "Don, you really need to go home and rest, you look like you're going to fall over."

Don looked up at the younger man with tired eyes. "You know I'm not going to be able to, but thanks. Now move it! The sooner Charlie starts working, the faster we might be able to put this to rest." Colby and David exchanged concerned glances before Colby gave Don a smile and headed for the elevator.

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"All I am saying, Charles, is in this instance I am completely basing this on the concept of the transformation of a set onto itself, not the inverse transformation," Larry Fleinhardt said from his perch on the end of Charlie's desk. He picked up the Pionir Cube that was next to him and began to fiddle with it.

"Well, that's true, but…hey Colby," Charlie looked up and greeted the agent as he stood quietly in the doorway to the office. "Did Don finally decide that he needed me?"

"Yeah, well, I'd hate to interrupt any major math discoveries the two of you might be doing, but Don thought you might be able to help with this one," Colby said with a crooked smile as he stepped into the room.

"I am free right now, just straightening the office," Charlie answered picking up a box to make room for the agent to sit. "What is the case?"

"Well, we've got an espionage case that seems to be getting out of hand," Colby began sitting down before handing a folder to Charlie. "The Department of Defense here in Los Angels was burglarized, and the perpetrators focused on the computers. We've managed to capture two of the three, but the third one – the leader – seems to be very skilled at evading capture. We've had two incidents with him in the last five days, and your brother is running out of patience."

"Is he alright?" Charlie asked, trying to cover up the slight quiver in his voice as he worried for his brother's safety.

"He's fine, Charlie," Colby answered with a knowing smile. "The only thing hurt was his pride. He is too competitive, but I'm sure you know that. He doesn't like anyone, but particularly a criminal, getting the best of him. Anyway, this guy, Jacobs, seems to be a master at flying under the radar and escaping detection. He was practically invisible for the last ten years, and has now managed to escape without a trace twice in the last week. We need to find this guy before he manages to get his hands on the secrets that he is after."

"What is he looking for?" Charlie asked as he turned pages in the folder. Colby glanced at Larry before turning back to Charlie, keeping his mouth shut. Charlie turned to Larry with an apologetic smile.

Larry swung his legs off the desk and dropped to his feet. "I can tell when I am not wanted…no, no, it's alright," he raised his hands as the other two men both started to speak. "I'll leave you two to your espionage and state secrets! Until later – Charles, Colby!" With that the physicist exited the office closing the door behind him.

"Sorry, but this case requires clearance, and Larry just doesn't have it," Colby sounded slightly embarrassed as he began telling the professor about the spy plane and its possible use and benefit. "This guy is relentless and single-minded. He's broken into the DOD, breached security at Edwards Air Force Base as well as hacked into the computers at China Lake Naval Weapons Center. He needs to be caught before he attacks again."

"Well, let me go through these files and reports and see what I can come up with," Charlie said excitedly as he swept his desk clear of a few papers before swinging into his seat. "Perhaps I can run a matrix to track where he's been and where he's going. Give me some time, and I'll let you know…"

Colby shook his head and smiled as the professor began fishing through the files and mumbling to himself. Stepping out into the hall, he flipped open his cell phone and called Don.

"Hey, Don…yeah, he's on it. He'll give us a call when he's got something."

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_The Present_

Alan flipped the phone open and tried again to reach his youngest son. The last hour had been difficult for him. He had tried to make small talk with Agent Kinseth, asking him about what division he worked in and how long he had been at the LA FBI. However, as the agent began to talk about Don, he found himself becoming more and more nervous.

Trying to get a hold of Charlie was the one thing that distracted him from his thoughts. When the phone began to ring instead of going straight to voicemail, Alan shifted excitedly in his seat.

"Dad…"

"Charlie! I'm so glad to hear your voice," Alan interrupted. "Where are you? Tell me you're alright."

"Dad, I'm fine. It's Don, he stopped breathing. Jacobs tried to drown him! They flew Don to the hospital. Megan and I are driving there right now. Dad, they wouldn't let me go with him…"

"I know. Son, I talked to the hospital. Don arrived fine and is currently be examined; I'm sure he'll be fine," Alan said attempting to head off Charlie's rant. "How long until you get to the hospital?"

"We're still another hour and a half away. Did they say whether he woke up or is he still unconscious?"

"They really couldn't give me any more information over the phone," Alan replied. "Agent Kinseth and I should be pulling into Bakersfield in the next half-hour, we should be at the hospital soon. I'll call you when I know more. I love you, son!"

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Alan did not even wait for the government issued SUV to come to a complete stop in front of the doors to the emergency room before opening the door and starting to climb out. He waved his hand at Agent Kinseth when he realized the man had addressed him, but he would not have been able to tell anyone what he had said.

He rushed into the waiting area and headed for the nurse's station. The woman behind the high counter was speaking on the phone, and Alan fought with himself to remain patient. As the women finally set the handset down, Alan caught her attention. "My son was airlifted in just a little while ago; I need to know what is happening with him and where he is."

"What is his name, sir?" She asked in an efficient voice as she began typing on the computer.

"Agent Donald Eppes," Alan stated firmly, slightly annoyed by her seeming lack of empathy. "He is an FBI agent, and he was brought in by helicopter."

"Here he is," she said after sorting through the computer screen. "I'm sorry, Mr. Eppes, but he is still with the initial doctors and has yet to be placed in a room. I will let the staff know that you're here. Please have a seat and someone will be down to give you an update as soon as possible." With a tight smile, she pointed towards one of the chairs in the waiting room.

Alan walked slowly towards the chair. _As if I haven't waited long enough! Now they've got me banished to the waiting room. My poor boy, what is happening to you? _Alan thought as he took the seat and began staring at the door to the main part of the hospital. He felt slightly comforted as Agent Kinseth slid into the seat next to him.

"Any news, sir?" The agent asked.

"They'll send someone out to talk to me when there is information," Alan answered in tired voice.

"Well, I'll just wait here with you until your other son arrives," Kinseth replied as he sat back and crossed his legs. Alan gave him as smile and patted his shoulder in thanks.

It was another half hour before Alan was shaken out of his memories. "Mr. Eppes?"

Alan jumped to his feet. "Yes! How is my son?"

"Sir, I'm Dr. Browne. I'm your son's doctor," the tall woman with short brown hair answered, motioning for Alan to resume his seat. She sat down across from him and gave him a friendly smile. "Don is making great progress! He is suffering from severe hypothermia. We've got him hooked up to an IV, and he is under warming blankets in an effort to raise his core body temperature. As to the drowning and the need for CPR, we will have to observe him closely and monitor his responses and heart function. At the moment he is resting. He was unable to respond verbally, very disoriented, but did make eye contact. If you'll follow me, Mr. Eppes, I'll take you up to his room for a visit."

Alan breathed a sigh of relief before turn towards Agent Kinseth. "You go ahead, sir. I'll wait here the others to arrive," the agent said in a supportive manner. Alan returned his smile warmly before following the doctor to the elevator.

As Alan stepped into the small, private hospital room he held his breath. Sliding past the curtain, pulled half-closed for privacy, he caught sight of his eldest son lying still in the bed.

Don was bundled down with blankets, and the temperature in the room was very high. The IV wires disappeared as they snaked under the blankets. Don looked very small and young buried under the covers, with just his hair and closed eyes sticking out over the top of the blankets.

Alan made his way over to the bed and ran his fingers through the short dark hair. "Oh, Donnie, what did he do to you?"

TBC  
_Feedback is appreciated._


End file.
